Optimized Camera Integration in IP-based Workflows and Infrastructures

Klaus Weber — Grass Valley Germany — Bonn, NRW, Germany

This paper first appeared in the Proceedings of the NAB 2022 Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology (BEIT) Conference. Reprinted here with permission of the author. 

You can download the whitepaper here.

Catch-up on the latest webinar by NOVELSAT. (Streamed Tuesday 21 November 2023)

Download the presentation here. 

Description

The broadcast landscape is undergoing a major transformation. More content than ever, growing audiences, and increasing consumer demands are pushing content providers, service operators, and media distributors to seek fresh, innovative methods for reshaping their infrastructure. All the while, they’re striving to enhance efficiency and achieve cost-effectiveness at every part of the video network.

In this webinar, we will explore efficient content acquisition, processing, distribution, and monitoring solutions to streamline video workflows for broadcasters, ensuring high-quality and secured content delivery across platforms and audiences. Learn from real cases and gain practical knowledge to implement simplified processes successfully.

Key topics include:

• Converging broadcast and OTT networks

• Transitioning to higher quality experiences

• Shifting to flexible, software-based architectures

• Revamping media delivery efficiencies and economics

• Leveraging managed and unmanaged environments

• Heightening content protection seamlessly and economically

• Bringing all together: processing, transmission, delivery & security

In this IABM TV Interview, Stan Moote, a recipient of the SMPTE Digital Processing Medal, chats with Ernie Sanchez from Cinnafilm how their file-based software works in the cloud/on-prem to solve complex imaging challenges, hence removing artifacts and optimizing video for “media now and everywhere” distribution models.

In this IABM TV Interview, Sergey Marchuk from Oxagile delves into the pressing challenges confronting content distributors and software vendors within the dynamic streaming industry. Gain insights into the intricate landscape of streaming as Sergey shares his perspectives on the agility imperative in engineering solutions.

PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATION

As a student in audiovisual engineering, I had the pleasure and honor of securing a spot in the program offered by IABM. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be invited to such an event as a mere student, not yet immersed in the professional world. This was my chance to visit both the massive trade show that is IBC 2023 and explore the beautiful city of Amsterdam. With my fellow winners, we marked the dates of the trade show as soon as our school year ended, allowing us to plan well in advance for our attendance. Personally, I opted for taking the bus and chose a conveniently located Airbnb between IBC and the city center.

MY SHOW DEBUT

I arrived in Amsterdam in the afternoon, around 3:30 PM. I rushed to drop off my luggage at my apartment and then went to meet Stuart, a representative from IABM, who graciously welcomed me despite my delay. After obtaining my badge, I roamed through the booths and realized the scale of the event. I believe the reason IBC lasts for several days is precisely to give attendees enough time to see as much as possible!

Initially, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds and the vastness of IBC 2023. Each exhibitor showcased innovative technologies that were equally impressive. I didn’t know where to begin. For the next day, I did what I recommend to future attendees of the trade show, which is to identify the booths that interested me using the app rather than wandering through the aisles hoping to stumble upon what I wanted. Trust me; it’s much less stressful.

WHAT INTERESTED ME

I also attended conferences, and the one that left the biggest impression on me was the one given by Eddie Hamilton, a film editor who has worked on major blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick. I’ve always been drawn to editing, and hearing him speak about his experience and share anecdotes about these films made the conference extremely enjoyable for me, from start to end!

Regarding the booths, there were so many interesting technologies presented that it’s hard to pick just one that stood out. But if I had to highlight two technologies, it would be the LED lighting developed by the Korean group Auysmas. This company created the first helium-filled LED balloon. In the future, this will be very useful for high-budget film shoots, allowing for night filming as if it were daytime, without the need for elaborate rigging – a simple rope will suffice! In conversation with the booth exhibitors, I learned that these LED balloons come in different shapes, sizes, and power levels. The fact that the lighting is done with LEDs is even more beneficial because it allows us to adjust color temperature and intensity without the need for filters.

CONCLUSION AND THANKS

Looking back, I think attending IBC 2023 was a fantastic experience for me. As students, we can quickly feel intimidated by the business world, even when studying in that field. At first, I didn’t feel at all in my element, but by immersing myself in it, I found great enjoyment. Many thanks to IABM for allowing me to attend the show! I would advise anyone with the opportunity to attend such events not to miss out – you won’t regret it!

“Cameras and LED Walls — A Challenging Relationship,” presented by Klaus Weber, Director Camera Product Line Manager at Grass Valley. This paper, initially showcased at the SMPTE 2023 Media Technology Summit last month, delves into the intricate challenges faced in combining cameras with LED walls, which have become integral elements in various media and entertainment applications.

Key Highlights:

LED walls have transformed scene design in media and entertainment, playing a pivotal role in both physical and virtual settings. However, the synergy between cameras and LED walls is not without hurdles. The fundamental problem arises from the discrete pixel structures used by both LED walls and camera image sensors, leading to potential interference and limitations in image composition. The white paper explores these challenges and offers valuable insights into optimizing optical pre-filtering to mitigate these issues.

Why This White Paper Matters:

This white paper not only identifies the challenges but also provides actionable solutions. By understanding the nuances of camera technology and its interaction with LED walls, professionals in the media and entertainment industry can make informed decisions, enhance image quality, and unlock new creative possibilities.

The full white paper is downloadable here: led_wall_ds-pub-3-1051a-en.pdf (grassvalley.com)

 

MediaTech Radar is a monthly newsletter put together by IABM’s Head of Knowledge Lorenzo Zanni. It focuses on a spotlight topic in MediaTech and reflects on a series of past, present, and future business developments in the industry. In this edition, our spotlight topic is Blockchain.

MediaTech Spotlight: Blockchain
A spotlight topic in MediaTech.

• IABM has just published its Blockchain report. IABM members can look at the report on MediaTech Vantage™ – IABM’s new business intelligence platform. The Blockchain report direct link is here. Below, I have included a selection of insights from the report.

• While an increasing number of media businesses are experimenting with blockchain-based technologies, its overall adoption rate remained at 11% in 2023, reflecting concerns related to NFTs and, more broadly, the Web3 economy.

• Monetize, Create, Produce and Consume continue to be the most popular areas of investment for blockchain technology, highlighting the unique 1:1 (DTC) relationship between creators and viewers enabled by the technology.

• Some major public cloud service providers like AWS and Google Cloud continue to invest in their Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) offerings. For example, AWS is expected to launch its own NFT-based Digital Marketplace in the US later in 2023.

• In Monetize and Consume, feature filmmaking is empowering niche fan bases to directly participate in funding, creating, and distributing bespoke content. With interactive elements becoming increasingly important, several sports leagues are now exploring blockchain technology applications that enable more advanced fantasy competitions and video games.

MediaTech Watchlist: MediaTech Revenues, Streaming, Sports Rights and more…
A watchlist of selected past, present and future business developments in MediaTech.

• An analysis of the latest financial results published by ATEME and Evertz highlights that, while revenues from their local markets are growing in 2023, revenues from emerging markets such as APAC and Latin America are declining. For example, Evertz reported a 13% increase in revenues from North America and a 17% decrease in revenues from international markets. In the case of ATEME, both EMEA and North America grew while APAC and Latin America declined. Although it is too early to draw conclusions from this data, particularly as other suppliers previously did not exhibit this trend, it is a trend we shall watch to test the impact of de-globalization on the industry as well as the impact of rising interest rates on emerging regions.

• Consumer pressure on streaming may continue according to recent research. According to a study published by TiVo, the number of streaming services used by US consumers and their spending have decreased in Q2 2023 compared to the end of last year even though video consumption has grown in the same period. A survey by Bitcentral’s ViewNexa highlighted that 46% of viewers are dissatisfied with the value they get from streaming services.

• Major streaming services have continued to implement measures to counter the pressure on their offerings. We have seen that companies have been launching AVOD tiers – Amazon was the last company to do so – streamlining content budgets and cracking down on password-sharing – Disney began its password-sharing crackdown at the end of september, Netflix hiked prices in October highlighting that its password-sharing crackdown had exceeded expectations and benefited subscriber growth.

• Sports rights spending in major markets grew by 68% to about $35bn between 2014 and 2022 according to an analysis by Ampere Analysis reported by IBC365. The analysis also highlights a fragmentation of sports rights across a wider range of services – something that I predicted in 2020 in a joint IABM and SVG webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on sports.

• This fragmentation, which has contributed to the increase in the value of sports rights, is certainly an interesting trend as, coupled with subscription inflation, may lead to consumer frustration and an uptick in piracy. However, the English Premier League may be an outlier as it is planning to sell fewer and bigger packages in its upcoming rights auction (FT, requires subscription).

• The Hollywood strike has cost studios and streamers an estimated $1.8bn in revenues according to a study by MediaRadar reported by TV Technology, 45,000 jobs have been lost according to a US Labour report. The actors strike was still going on at the time of the writing with no end in sight any time soon.

• According to Reuters, Sony is doubling down on virtual production through its strength in hardware due to the growth in this activity.

Thank you for reading this newsletter. If there are topics you would like me to cover or have information/ideas you’d like to share, please get in touch with us. 
Lorenzo Zanni
Head of Knowledge
IABM

The webinar covers topical issues pertinent to the latest engineering challenges in the next-generation media supply chains.

• What are the key drivers driving change in the Media supply chain?
• What are the challenges in current architectures/landscape coming in the way of transformation?
• What are some of the organisations doing?
• And most importantly, what are the practical ways to navigate this every-changing engineering challenge.

The webinar balances commercial agility with technology complexity and is hosted by IABM’ CTO Stan Moote along with L Ganesh Kumar, Media Global Practice Head, LTTS and Tony Jones, Principal Technologist, MediaKind.